The Calamity Janes: Gina and Emma: To Catch a Thief

“Is that how you met Rinaldi, at one of those cooking schools?”

“Yes,” she said. “But before we go too far along that particular path, let’s agree here and now to save all those nasty deposition questions for New York.”

“It might not leave us much to talk about,” he said, that grin sneaking back.

“Consider it a challenge. You look like the kind of man who thrives on challenges.”

“I do,” he agreed. “Okay then, you pick a nice, neutral topic. What shall we talk about?”

“Let’s talk about you,” she suggested. “Why did you decide to become a lawyer?”

“To protect the little guy from swindlers and crooks,” he said readily.

Gina laughed. “Didn’t take long to get back to your low opinion of me, did it?”

“That’s your interpretation,” he said. “Guilty conscience?”

“Not me.” She regarded him intently. “Tell me something. Why did you take this case? Usually your firm is involved in much more lucrative, high-profile cases. You don’t actually work for the little guys. You work for corporate America. Yet here you are up to your neck in a case that involves peanuts. Even if you recover every missing dollar that Bobby allegedly stole, your cut won’t amount to much by your firm’s standards. And just think of all the billable hours you’re missing while you hang around out here keeping me under surveillance.”

He shrugged. “I was due for a vacation, anyway.”

“But you wouldn’t have chosen to take it here, would you?”

“No,” he admitted. “Probably not.”

“So why did you take a case that was going to cost so much for such little reward?”

“It was personal,” he said, his expression turning grim.

“Oh? In what way?”

“My mother was among those Rinaldi swindled out of their money.” There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I imagine you can see why I’d want him caught.”

Gina was taken aback by the admission. She hadn’t thought about Rafe having a mother—or any other family, for that matter—let alone a mother who’d backed Café Tuscany. “How much did she give Bobby?”

“I doubt she viewed it as a gift. She invested a hundred thousand.”

She stared at him, openmouthed with shock. “What? Where did she get that kind of cash? Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I got the impression the other day that your family didn’t have a lot of money. Or were you just trying to play on my sympathy at the toy store?”

“We didn’t. Not when I was a kid. My dad worked two jobs to keep food on the table. It was a constant source of friction between him and my mother. She was used to having the finer things in life, but she made the mistake of falling for a guy working construction on one of my grandfather’s skyscrapers. Needless to say, my grandparents disapproved. They cut her off without a dime.”

He regarded Gina with a bleak expression. “At first I don’t think it really mattered to her. They were doing okay and they were wildly in love. Then I came along, and the finances got a little tighter. When my sister was born, every dollar was stretched to the limit. My grandfather saw to it that my dad was never hired on the best-paying jobs.”

Gina was appalled. “What a mean-spirited thing to do.”

“You won’t get any argument from me about that. It was the worst kind of abuse of power. Eventually it took its toll on the marriage, probably just as my grandfather intended. The fights got louder and nastier. My mother found richer companions. Ultimately my father tired of being humiliated and divorced her. He’s living somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. We’re not in touch, though I did get a copy of the newspaper announcement when he remarried a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Gina said quietly. “His leaving must have made things even more difficult.”

“It could have, but my mother is a survivor. She remarried a little more quickly, within months of the divorce, this time to someone my grandparents approved of. The money began to flow again, so my sister has had an easier time of it, despite the fact that the marriage only lasted a year. There was a hefty settlement.”

His expression turned wry. “Then came another marriage, another divorce, another settlement. Financially my mother has done well for herself, but she’s never found the kind of love she had with my father. While she’s looking for it, she gets mixed up with guys like Rinaldi.”

Gina was surprised by the depth of compassion she felt for him. His motives in going after Bobby and her made a lot more sense now. It also explained why he was distrustful, not just of her, but of all women. “So this is your chance to get even with all the people who’ve taken advantage of her?”

“Something like that.”

She met his gaze with an unflinching look. “I had nothing to do with any of this. Unless she’s been a customer, I don’t even know your mother.”

“You wouldn’t have to in order to benefit from Rinaldi’s con,” he pointed out. “But I imagine you do know her. In fact, I suspect she’s been a frequent diner at Café Tuscany, usually on Rinaldi’s arm.”

Gina shook her head. “Bobby never brought his women to the restaurant. They would’ve distracted him from cooking. Whatever else can be said about Bobby—and at the moment, there’s quite a lot I could say—he was a total professional in the kitchen. Nobody except employees was allowed back there, not even his investors. He gave them a private tour a few days before our official opening, but told them it was off-limits from that moment on.”

There was no mistaking the disbelief in Rafe’s expression. “Are you sure he wasn’t inviting guests in for a little after-hours hanky-panky?”

“If you mean his women, no. We had an agreement.”

Rafe grinned at that. “Yeah, he had one with my mother, too. It wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.”

“But—”

He held up his hand. “Don’t even try to defend him, Gina. The man is a con artist.”

“And you think I am, as well,” she concluded.

“The jury’s still out on that, but at the very least you demonstrated lousy judgment in choosing your business partner. Whose idea was it for the two of you to go into business together, anyway? Yours or Rinaldi’s?”

“I’m not going to answer that,” she said. “Frankly, you should know better than to ask.”

“We’re just chatting,” he said blandly. “Getting acquainted.”

“We’re already acquainted. I think getting to know each other any better would be a risky business.”

“You could be right about that,” he agreed with apparent regret.

Before they could continue, several of Gina’s friends showed up. Radiating indignation, they stood beside the table glaring at Rafe. They might not understand what was going on between Gina and him, but obviously they were prepared to leap to her defense.

“What is he doing here?” Emma demanded. “Is he harassing you again?”

“No. He was here all alone. Since I was killing time waiting for you guys, I took pity on him and invited him to join me,” Gina admitted.

“Why?” Emma said. She gave Gina an apologetic look. “I bugged Lauren till she told me about the deposition. Sorry. He’s not trying to question you without counsel present, is he?”

Rafe chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Emma drew herself up. “I should hope not. I’d have you disbarred.”

Gina grinned. “As you know, Emma is an attorney.”